Hm... it is Monday, and despite having updated Friday, I have had time to run through and edit this. Therefore...

...Another chapter for you.

Five days later, Sierra and Anna decided to go out for a walk, Anna saying she couldn't stand being inside so much. Sierra offered to go with her so she wasn't alone. Sam was flipping through something on her iPod Touch, and I was cleaning up the area we called home. Well, it was our home for now. As for why I was cleaning stuff up; I know there are people hired to clean our rooms, but that means less work for them if I clean up after my group, and I don't as much feel the need to pay them, either.

"My iPod's all confused," Sam laughed. "But… so… stupid!" She jabbed the screen with her finger. "It won't let me get on my Facebook…. It says my account doesn't exist."

"It probably doesn't in this world," I commented.

"Yeah, and if I go on Google and search up Death Note, nothing comes up. It's just so weird!"

"It's probably weird because it's something familiar to you that has been altered. It's something that proves to you this isn't the same world we grew up in."

She gave me an odd look. "Yeah. I guess you're right."

"Search up Kira, you'll get loads of results then," I said jokingly. "It'd probably be like an ultimate fansite if we found one of those Kira-worshipping websites back home."

"It'd probably be creepy if we found one of those Kira-worshipping websites back home." She began sliding her finger up the screen repeatedly. "Aha! I got it!"

"What?" I asked.

"All of the stuff I saved to my iPod, I still have. See? Look!" She held up her iPod to show Light throwing a cake in L's face.

"Wow," I chuckled, straightening the blankets.

"Well, see, this means I can save stuff from the internet in this world… as proof that we were here. To show it wasn't a dream."

I blinked. "You have a point," I commented. "That'd be awesome."

"And I can take pictures, too!" Sam burst into laughter. "If I meet L and have proof, Hayley would be so jealous once we get back!"

"Wow," I grinned, and began picking up the remnants of food off the ground – crumbs and stuff. There was the occasional candy wrapper here and there as well. As I bent down to grab one of these candy wrappers, my new cell phone began to ring. I, of course, jumped. I wasn't used to having a cell yet, considering I didn't have one before now. Ha. Sam laughed at my reaction, typically. "Must be Anna and Sierra," I mumbled, then got the phone from my pocket, flipping it open. "Hello?"

"This is Hideki," came a voice that definitely was not one of my nieces.

"Hideki?" I asked slowly, confused. "Hideki…. Hideki…. Oh! Hideki Ryuuga, the guy I met at Light's school?"

Sam looked up at me.

"Yes, that is correct. Do you remember what you said to me the day we met?"

"That I thought you were L?" I replied, sounding sheepish. I was exceptional at acting; I got it from my mom. She was… is a wonderful actress. "Yeah…. Sorry about that…."

"That's quite alright. Actually, you weren't too far off. I'm not L, but I am, in fact, working on the Kira investigation."

So he's not telling me he's L yet, I noted. "Really? That's awesome!"

"I'm glad you think so," he said in a voice that didn't sound exactly glad… more emotionless. "However, that is not what I called to tell you."

"By the way, how did you know my number?"

"Light told me."

"Oh. Gotcha."

"I was wondering if, perhaps, you would be interested in joining the investigation."

I beamed, and the tickling sensation of excitement filled my chest. "Of course! I'd be honored to help!"

"Good. Do you know where the café Light likes to go to is?"

"Uh… no, sorry."

"Alright, that's fine. I will meet you at three o'clock outside your hotel."

"I'm guessing Light told you where I live, too?"

"That is correct."

"Alrighty…. I'll see you at three o'clock then!"

"Good. Goodbye."

There was a click before I could respond. I flipped my cell phone shut, turned, and grinned wide at Sam. She wasn't even holding her iPod anymore; she was leaning toward me anxiously.

"L has invited me to join the investigation," I told her, and she squealed in delight. I looked at the clock on her iPod. It was 2:55. "Oh, shoot, I need to be in front of the hotel in five minutes!"

"Huh? Already?" asked Sam, but I was already trying to get my shoes on. I didn't bother brushing my hair or anything. L, of all people, wouldn't care much about how I presented myself physically.

"Yes," I replied simply. "Already. Tell Anna and Sierra where I am, okay? Bye!"

"Uh, bye!" was her call in response.

I ran quickly through the halls and wasted no time in waiting for the elevator, simply taking the steps. Doing this helped me get rid of the excess energy that was beginning to form out of sheer excitement. As it turned out, Anna and Sierra were walking in the lobby, towards our room, and caught sight of me running for the door.

"Natsumi, where are you going?" called Sierra.

"Meeting L gotta go bye!" I said in a rush, and went past them, without any regard to the fact I was in public and therefore not supposed to know he was L. Oh well. Sierra and Anna looked back at me confusedly, but I knew Sam would explain it to them. When I got outside the hotel, I sat on a bench, my leg bouncing (a habit of mine) and my fingers twiddling and my wrists being wrung. I still had some energy left, and I didn't know what to do with it. I wouldn't be able to sit still if I had too much. I'm sure I could control myself – I wouldn't run up to him and ask in a higher-than-normal-pitch voice if I could have a hug – but I'd be restless, and it would be harder to concentrate. And I needed to concentrate.

"Natsumi Matsuo?"

I looked up, then jumped to my feet. "Hideki Ryuuga?" I replied.

"Yes. Please, come." He then began to walk to the right.

"Are we walking?" I asked, trotting along behind him.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"The café is nearby."

"Um, why the café?"

"It's a good way to go to a public place where no one will overhear you."

"I see. Didn't you say Light liked it?"

"That is correct."

"Did he show you the café?"

"Yes."

"So… no super-secret, secluded place to speak in?"

"No."

"Can't you find a place you haven't used before?"

"I am not the famous detective L, I am merely his underling. I do not have good access to such things."

"Okay…. What will we be talking about?"

"You will see when we get there."

"Um, will Light be joining the investigation?"

"That is uncertain."

"Does Light know I could be joining the investigation?"

"Yes."

"What was his reaction?"

"…He didn't like it very much."

"Did he say anything against me?"

"Yes."

There was a pause, and I waited in vain for L to say what Light had said. I should have learned from the conversation that he gave short answers.

"…You don't speak much, do you?" I commented, eyebrows raised.

"I say what is necessary."

"Right…," I mumbled. We lapsed into silence.

Then, "This is the café."

"Oh!" I said, looking up at the building. L was already walking in, and I followed him hastily. We headed directly to the table in the corner, and L sat down, watching me with those wide eyes. I awkwardly slid into the opposite booth, and we were served coffee soon after with hardly a word said between us. "So then…," I began, not sure how to get things going.

"I know you're eager to join the investigation."

I laughed. "That's true, but I betcha it's gonna be harder for me to join because of my age, am I right?"

"Not necessarily. It's your intellectual ability that gets you in, not your age."

"Point taken."

"Yes, well, as you seem so keen on catching Kira, I suppose giving you nothing would be quite disappointing."

I pursed my lips as he took some papers out of his pocket. Well, he isn't telling me he's testing my abilities. There's a difference. "Yeah, probably. I'm kinda hoping not to be disappointed at all today, though."

"Let's both hope then."

"Okay!" I beamed.

"Here is some information that was never put out to the public," L explained, setting a paper and three smaller papers in front of me. "Please do tell me your thoughts on them. This is the order in which the twelve FBI agents died, and the order they received the file. Then, there are these letters that some Kira victims wrote on the walls before they died."

I blinked. I knew the information just as well as Light did, so I'd be in as dangerous territory as well. I needed to be careful. I remembered how Light had deduced how to react to the messages, but I couldn't for the life of me remember too much on how to react to the other one. I hesitantly picked the paper up, examining it. I remember that I'm not supposed to know about the file, I noted, examining the page. "Um, Hideki, what was in the file? I don't think I can figure much out without knowing what the file was…."

"Ah, sorry," he said, somehow managing to look sheepish without changing his expression. "The file contained the agent's names and faces, and then they all died after receiving the file."

"Oh, alright then. So it really is name and face…." I tried to remember what it was I was supposed to figure out, but it's hard when you already know the answer. Work backwards, and separate what you know and what you should know. But then, it was easier to work backwards to figure out why you would know something rather than figuring it all out without any information to start with. "Well," I spared a glance at the messages, "were the victims being manipulated by Kira when they wrote those messages?" I asked. "If so, Kira has more power than I thought…."

"Yes, that's assumed."

"Well then… Kira probably used that file to kill off the agents. Kira was probably either manipulating one of these agents, or was in touch with one of them. And if one of these agents were being influenced… he or she would probably be the one to call someone else to get the files…. And Kira would have to know that agent's name and face already. So one of these agents had to have given his or her name to Kira beforehand…."

L nodded. "And what do you think of the messages?"

I set the paper down and examined the messages. Phew. I'm not sure if I even did that right. For all I know, I just made myself a Kira suspect. …Whoa, I never looked at that possibility. What if L thinks I'm Kira? Well, at least I know what to do with these…. I looked at both the front and the back of the cards, and rearranged them a few times before speaking again. "Okay, so there's a hidden message in this. That's easy. The thing is, it makes most sense you arrange it to say, 'L, do you know gods of death love apples?' But, according to the labels on the back of the pictures, it says, 'L, do you know love apples? Gods of death.' That sounds a bit weird…. But maybe this isn't the full sentence. Maybe you're withholding information, or Kira's going to kill another criminal to finish his message."

L nodded. "Yes, there is a fourth photo," he said, slipping out said photo. I knew it was fake, but I sure as hell couldn't tell him that. If I did, he'd know I know more than I let on.

"Sweet!" I cried in delight. "I actually got that right! I feel so smart!" Not really.

"I have a question, now, Natsumi," said L.

"Yes, Hideki?" I asked, bringing my cup of coffee up to my lips, but immediately putting it down again. I didn't really like coffee. Maybe if I added sugar it would taste better, who knew? Take a hint from L, the one who has a sweet tooth bypassing even Sam and Sierra's. Combined.

"If Natsumi were L," he asked, "how would you try to find if a suspect was Kira?"

"Well," I replied after a moment of thought, "I'd do exactly what you're doing right now."

"And what's that?"

"You're trying to trick me into telling information only Kira would know."

"That… is correct." He reached forward to take back the papers. "Only one other person was able to come up with that answer so quickly. Actually, only one other person came up with that answer, the best answer, in particular. None of the investigators could come up with it. Your skills… are definitely amazing. Certainly suitable to join the investigation."

"Oh boy!" I grinned. Too bad I'm taking the information from the manga. I kinda wonder whether I'd actually be cut out for this. "I'm looking forward to it!"

"I'm glad. I assume you go to school, so—"

"No. I don't," I interrupted. Where could we possibly go?

"Alright. You can go to the police headquarters tomorrow morning at nine o'clock. Someone from the investigation team will meet you there and escort you to the current Kira investigation headquarters."

"Er, where is the police headquarters?"

"Ah," he said, then pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket. He wrote down where the police station was. "Here."

"Oh thanks…. But, can I ask for one thing?"

"What's that?"

"I would like to be able to go home every night. My three friends – I consider them my sisters – are all younger than me, and them all alone can't care for themselves. They rely on me for things like food, since we're low on money and can't really afford to pay for room service…. Would that be alright?"

"That would be fine. It's very reasonable, and everyone is permitted to leave each night. I'm assuming, then, that you don't have parents to care for you? Or rather, they're out often, or ill?"

"Nope. No parents, unfortunately."

"Well, I'm sorry about that."

"That's just fine," I smiled. "Speaking of which, was there anything else you needed to tell me? Because…."

"No," he said, sliding to the edge of the booth and getting up in his slouching, tired-looking way. "That is all. Thank you for having this conversation."

I got up. "My pleasure," I grinned, and held out my hand. "See you tomorrow, Hideki."

He took my hand awkwardly, and shook it. "Oh, one more thing, Natsumi."

"Yes?"

He stared at me with those big, bulging eyes of his. "I'm L," he said.

I blinked twice. "Awesome sauce," I said softly, then we began walking towards the doors. "Well then, Hideki/L, I have all the more respect for you now, if that's true. I guess I'll be getting credibility of that tomorrow, then!"

"Yes. I guess so. Goodbye, Natsumi."

"Bye!" And then, we walked our separate ways.

I went at a leisurely pace back to my hotel, feeling so light and happy and excited. When I reached the room my friends and I were staying at, I immediately went for the manga to see if I'd done the analysis correctly, despite Anna's yelp of greeting.

"What happened?" squeaked Sierra.

"I'm in the investigation!" I cried happily, then burst into laughter. I'd probably be very laugh-y for the rest of the day. Laugh-y and happy and even slightly hyper.

"Woot!" Sierra cried.

Anna laughed happily with me.

"Oh my Jeevas of Mac 'n Cheese World!" Sam squealed.

I looked up the part in the manga I needed to, a smile still lingering on my lips. "Huh. I gave him even more information than was necessary. Oh well, I still think I did alright."

"Good enough to get into the investigation!" Sam grinned. "I can't believe you're in!"

"Me neither!" Sierra squeaked.

"I can," Anna stated.

"Well, now all I have to do is fit you in somehow, and follow through with my plan," I said, and sighed contentedly as I lay on the bed, stretching.

"What, exactly, is your plan?" Sam asked.

"It's a surpri—"

"No," Sam interrupted. "I can't stand being left out of your big ideas anymore. You know how annoying it is to always be left in the dark until the last moment?"

"Er…." I looked up, thinking. "Yeah, I guess it would be kinda annoying. I just like seeing your reaction, though, and—"

"But we could help!" Sierra cut in.

"We need to know what you're planning," Sam agreed. "If not, lives could be at stake."

"C'mon, tell us," Sierra coaxed.

"Please?" Anna added. "I wanna know, too."

I pursed my lips, staring at the ceiling. They had a point with the whole 'lives could be at stake' thing. "Alright," I said hesitantly, sitting up. "Well, my plan is simple, really. There comes a point in time when Light loses his memories, right?" There were a few nods. "Well, my plan is to stop him from ever getting his memories back."

"How will you do that?" asked Sierra.

"His memories return if he touches the Death Note," I explained. "So, if he never touches the notebook, he never gets his memories. In the manga, he gets his memories back when the task force captures Higuchi – that new Kira that kills while Light and Misa have their memories gone. Because I'm now on the investigation team, I'll be there when they capture Higuchi, and I can stop Light from ever touching the notebook. Does that make sense?"

"I think it's awesome," Anna said matter-of-factly.

"I think it's okay," Sierra agreed.

"But there are a few flaws," Sam muttered. "What if he touches it before you can get to it? How about this: what if the plan doesn't work? That'd be bad! And, if that plan fails, then there's next to no time to come up with something else to save L!"

"Does anyone have any better solutions?" I asked. No one responded. "Exactly. Sayuri, just trust me on this. Just follow this one plan, and it saves everyone. It saves L, Mello, Matt, Takada—"

"I hate Takada," Sam frowned.

I frowned, and continued, "—Rem, Watari, Sayu, Misa—"

"Misa dies?" Sierra asked.

"She committed suicide after Light died," I explained. "…and Light," I finished my list. "So, we save all those people if this works."

"And if it doesn't?" Sam prodded.

"It will. I promise. I won't let it not work. It has to work. This plan failing is not an option. So, guys, trust me. I'll save L, and everyone else."

"Except for all those criminals," Sierra pointed out.

"…Except for all those criminals," I conceded.

L... being L... I hope you readers had a nice weekend, anyway. Have a wonderful rest of the day!

Fun Fact: I don't know what it was that inspired me to put these fun facts here. It was only on a whim.

I do love reviews~ Review? I give you L's cake!